Menu Plan 5/23

Plans may change as we'll be receiving our first delivery from our CSA this week. I'm not sure what to expect! But I'm so excited about getting fresh, local produce!


Sunday - pizza tortillas (feeling the need to shake up our usual pizza night!)

Monday - flounder, barley, steamed veggies

Tuesday - tabouleh (trying a new recipe, I'll probably added shredded chicken)

Wednesday - chicken spaghetti, steamed veggies

Thursday - FIFI aka Find It, Fix It

Friday - pork BBQ, probably as open-faced sandwiches, steamed veggies

Saturday - meatloaf, quinoa pilaf, steamed veggies (if it's too hot to use the oven, I'll cook the meatloaf in the crockpot)

Menu Plan 5/16

Sunday - homemade pizza

Monday - spaghetti with meatballs, steamed broccoli

Tuesday - FIFI (Find It, Fix It, a.k.a. leftovers)

Wednesday - chicken stir fry, veggie fried rice

Thursday - grilled cheese sandwiches, carrot & celery sticks

Friday - Amish Chicken Noodle Casserole, steamed veggies

Saturday - flounder, quinoa, steamed veggies

Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins

I had leftover butter squash filling when I made Butternut Squash Ravioli (which tasted wonderful, but were messy and labor-intensive!). So I used about 1 1/2 cups of the filling mixture in place of the butternut squash in this recipe.

Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups butternut squash puree
1 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine milk, egg, and melted butter until thoroughly mixed. Add squash puree. Fold squash mixture into dry ingredients. Do not overmix.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Each cup should be about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.


Makes 12 muffins
Each muffin has: 121 calories, 2 g fat, 24 g carbohydrates, 3 g protein

Strawberry Ricotta Muffins

Today was baking day! I got everything done that I had planned. I tried three new recipes and they all turned out great. In addition to these, I made Apple Oatmeal Bars and Spiced Butternut Squash Muffins.

I will definitely be making these again! This is a great way to use up the last little bit of ricotta cheese that you may have leftover from another recipe. I tweaked this.

Strawberry Ricotta Muffins

2 cups medium strawberries
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
10 Tbsp. melted butter, divided
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp lime juice (I used Key lime juice, which I had on hand)
2 cups flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp ground flax meal (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place a wire cooling rack on a baking sheet. Wash, hull, and quarter the strawberries. Place strawberries on prepared rack. Bake until strawberries are partially dried. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Set oven to 400 degrees.

2. Brush the inside of a 12 mold muffin pan with 2 Tbsp melted butter. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, vanilla and remaining butter.

4. In a large bowl, add sugar and lime juice. Stir until all the sugar is moist. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and flax. Gently but quickly fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick and heavy. Stir in strawberries and spoon into muffin tin. Bake until tops of muffins are slightly browned, about 20-25 minutes.

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire rack.


Makes 12 muffins
Per muffin: 158 calories, 3 g fat, 29 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein

Menu Plan 5/9

Oops! Forgot to post this!

Sunday - Mother's Day - the kitchen is closed!

Monday - homemade calzones, steamed bok choy

Tuesday - pasta, chicken and veggies

Wednesday - Tomato & Feta Frittata

Thursday - FIFI (Find It, Fix It)

Friday - butternut squash ravioli (didn't get to it last week)

Saturday - grilled steak, barley, steamed veggies

Healthy Snack Mix

I've posted a snack mix before, but I think it was before my days of trying to limit processed foods. So while this mix has processed foods, I went with the best ingredients possible.

I like to make a snack mix when we have a road trip or if we'll be spending time at the beach or at the pool. Just grab a cup-full and snack!


1 box of Kashi Heart-to-Heart Warm Cinnamon Oat Cereal
1 box Post Toasties (wheat & bran cereal)
6 cups stove-popped or air-popped popcorn (you can use microwave popcorn if it's "natural")
1 large bag of M&Ms (I got the dark chocolate flavor)

Mix all ingredients in a large tub. A one cup serving is approximately 125 calories.


Don't forget to visit my main blog Not a DIY Life to follow my journey of parenting and getting healthy!

Pasta & Bean Salad

As we move into summer, pasta salads become a staple of our weekly menu plan. They're great for several reasons. First, you make them ahead of time and don't have to spend the afternoon in the kitchen if the pool is calling your name. Second, you can use whatever leftover veggies you have on hand.

I use olive oil, lemon juice and salt as a dressing instead of prepared salad dressing. It has less calories and a light taste, which is perfect for this time of year.

This salad is only limited by what you have on hand and your imagination! Add squash, zucchini, peppers or whatever you can think of!


Pasta and Bean Salad

16 oz small pasta, cooked, drained & rinsed (I used ditalini pasta)
1 cup garbanzo beans
2 cups shelled edamame, lightly steamed
3 large carrots, diced
2 medium celery stalks, diced
2 medium radishes, diced
fresh chives, chopped
(I also chopped the fresh radish leaves and added about 2 Tbsp)
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tbsp olilve oil
1 oz lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Add all ingredients in a large bowl. Gently toss to combine. Chill for several hours before serving.

Makes about 10 servings.
280 calories
6 g fat
42 g carbs
12 g protein

Menu Plan 5/3

Sunday - homemade pizza, salad

Monday - steak, baked potatoes, steamed veggies

Tuesday - chicken stir fry with lots of veggies, brown rice

Wednesday - pasta salad with garbanzo beans and lots of veggies

Thursday - FIFI, aka Find It, Fix It

Friday - time to try something new - Butternut Squash Ravioli

Saturday - grilled tilapia, barley, steamed veggies

Hopefully, our CSA will start deliveries this week. The spring planting was late because of a wet winter. So if we do receive our first delivery, then the menu plan will adjust accordingly!